Dhaka, March 4 -- Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud says the impact of the war in the Middle East has caused a slowdown in fuel supply lines that will not only be felt in Bangladesh, but across the globe.

The government is trying to manage the situation by using available fuel sparingly, he told the media at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

The situation will have to be managed using existing reserves until the fuel supply normalises, Mahmud says.

"What we have will have to be used sparingly until our supply line is fixed."

The minister said that, after reviewing the situation, the government is now mainly emphasising crisis management.

"As long as the war continues, there will be a crisis. You can say that...